The Shipwrights Charitable Fund

Analysis

The Shipwrights Charitable Fund is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in January 1971, 55 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, amateur sport, environment/conservation/heritage and economic/community development/employment, which this site groups under amateur sport and recreation. It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and provides advocacy/advice/information.

In the financial year ending April 2025, The Shipwrights Charitable Fund reported income of £851k and spending of £865k, spending 102% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from April 2021 to April 2025, income grew from £464k to £851k (+83%), an average of +16% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to April 2025, when income rose by 97%. Over the whole period it spent 99% of the income it received.

Among 12,174 England and Wales charities whose main cause is amateur sport and recreation and that reported income, The Shipwrights Charitable Fund sits at the 98th percentile: it is larger than about 98% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 93rd percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Sapphire School of Gymnastics Ltd (£849k), Ocean Youth Trust South (£852k) and Graves Park (£849k).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 72% and investments 28%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £200k. Charitable activities took 85% of spending and raising funds 0.3%. Grants to other organisations totalled £712k. Reserves of £6.5m would cover about 77 months of spending at that rate. It employed 4 people.